Man who rushed Pitt had pulled Grammy prank

Anthony Mccartney Associated Press

Posted:
05/29/2014 07:44:43 AM MDT

Click photo to enlarge

A fan is walked off carpet in handcuffs after allegedly attacking Brad Pitt at the world premiere of "Maleficent" at the El Capitan Theatre on Wednesday, May 28, 2014, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A man who was arrested after police said he rushed and touched Brad Pitt at the premiere of the Angelina Jolie movie "Maleficent" is a former Ukrainian journalist with a history of getting too close to celebrities.

Vitalii Sediuk was jailed Wednesday on suspicion of misdemeanor battery at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood and was held in lieu of $20,000 bail, police said.

Sediuk has previously crossed the line with celebrities, most recently rushing America Ferrara on a red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival and crawling under her dress.

He crashed the 2013 Grammy Awards and was arrested after he went onstage and grabbed a microphone before Adele accepted an award. He pleaded no contest to trespassing and remains on probation.

In 2012, Will Smith slapped Sediuk after he tried to kiss him on a red carpet, and he drew Madonna's ire a year earlier by presenting her a bouquet of flowers.

In the latest incident, Sediuk is accused of jumping over a barrier in a fan area and rushing at Pitt along the red carpet, touching him briefly before security guards wrestled Sediuk away in handcuffs.

Police could only confirm that he made contact with Pitt and could not classify it further. Pitt was apparently unhurt and resumed signing autographs before walking into the theater.

Sediuk worked for Ukrainian television channel 1+1 before he was recently fired, station general director Oleksandr Tkachenko said. No further details were provided.

ODESSA, Texas (AP) — A West Texas man has been charged with impersonating an officer by using sirens and flashing lights to skip to the head of the drive-thru line at a fast-food restaurant. Full Story

Sufjan Stevens, "Carrie & Lowell" (Asthmatic Kitty) Plucked strings and pulsing keyboards dominate the distinctive arrangements on Sufjan Stevens' latest album, and in the absence of a rhythm section, they serve to keep time. Full Story